From the qualities to the quantities: applied ergonomics in a control room architectural project.

The ergonomic approach to the control centre design provides a framework where decisions about equipment selection, operating practices, working environments and furniture selection are based around the operating demands. The paper presents the architectural design process applied to an ergonomic control room of a chemical plant in Morocco. Considering the specific characteristics of the architectural plan to draft and the related safety critical context, ergonomics was considered as the key to assure environmental safety and work efficiency, since the earlier architectural plant concept. The study is centered on the ergonomic standards reference in an integrated framework, with the aim to detect all aspects affecting the ergonomic qualities of the built environment, in order to understand and control, by mean of the architectural features, all ergonomics related needs of control room operators. Therefore, the design process paid particular attention on the different natures of factors creating, in the whole, the ergonomic quality of a work spaces. Thus physical, cognitive and organizational aspects were considered together, in order to identify the set of architectural technical specifications, able to optimize all working conditions in the control room. The ergonomic study was finalized to allow the operators in charge of production facility supervisions to work under the most appropriate conditions for their trades so that they operate in the best possible performance environment. For this purpose the ergonomic study provided the analysis making the ergonomic parameters correspond with the general design requirements. The study was directed to identify the feature relating to operating task and environmental aspect of the operator tasks considered, in order to optimise the design of environment and workstations, by analysing operator’s activities, physical environment of the workstations, plurality and variability of the working situations and visual information and communication requirements. The result of these surveys was used as input data for identification of technical requirements and specification of the architectural project.